


Leave these walls tonight to run

by shipintheisland



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, M/M, No Angst, just cuties meeting at a party, the rich boys charity gala no one asked for
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:54:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26086777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shipintheisland/pseuds/shipintheisland
Summary: That was what mattered, his father had always told him, a good job and an even better situation. Nicholas wouldn’t complain about that of course, who would not be happy if they never had to lack anything in their lives ?
Relationships: Nicholas Latifi/Lance Stroll
Comments: 3
Kudos: 48





	Leave these walls tonight to run

**Author's Note:**

  * For [blueblue1965](https://archiveofourown.org/users/blueblue1965/gifts).



> Okay so i was supposed to write headcanons on Lance and Nicky on tumblr for my friend but I completely forgot because I’m a fucking mess, so instead I wrote my first full fic in months to make myself forgiven  
> Hope you’ll like it Jamie 💙
> 
> (Title from Get Up by Diva Faune)

With his elbow on the armchair and his head resting on his palm, Nicholas let the soft music in his earphones drown the loud sound of the plane’s engine. In front of him, his father was sleeping soundly, his breathing even, while his mother was silently reading a book, turning the pages and readjusting the blanket around her every once in a while. Nicholas sighed, turning his head toward the window to watch the white clouds covering the view under them.

They were heading to Montreal for a charity gala organized by yet another one of his father’s coworkers, and despite it not being the first Nicholas would attend (far from it, he thought as an annoyed exhale escaped him), he still couldn’t get used to them. Meeting all kinds of old rich men and women, shaking hands, explaining again and again to everyone that yes he was the first of his Business Management promotion in uni and no he didn’t want to meet whatever daughter or niece he was always proposed to take out on a date by some insisting usual annoyance in a suit.

"But you are so handsome and smart ! You would make those ladies very happy !" His mom kept on repeating. ‘I would make lots of boys very happy too’ he wanted to answer, but the imposing presence of his father never far from him made him keep his mouth shut, not wanting to disappoint the head of his family and the one that would assure him an easy life and a paying job in the near future.

That was what mattered, his father had always told him, a good job and an even better situation. Nicholas wouldn’t complain about that of course, who would not be happy if they never had to lack anything in their lives ?

Because he was not lacking anything, of course.

Right ?

Still, when the private jet landed, the anxiousness of the party didn’t leave Nicholas’ stomach and he nervously tugged the sleeves of his expensive white shirt, letting his mother pester about his inability to keep his collar straight (which was actually correctly ironed and put on, thank you very much, but with her everything had to be absolutely perfect, so he let her). He stayed mostly silent during the trip in the taxi, politely answering everything his parents asked him, arranging his hair a little when asked by his father and smiling warmly when he was met with the proud eyes of the older man. He was the biggest pride of his parents, he knew it, and just for that he would behave at the gala. They worked hard to get where they were today, on the top of the social stairs, they deserved for their son to deal with a few hours of a boring and empty evening once every few months. So, instead of sighing in annoyance again, Nicholas drew his gaze outside to the darkening sky, his lips unconsciously turning into a soft smile when he noticed the clouds escaping the horizon. At least, he could enjoy the stunning view of the stars before they arrived.

Unfortunately, as he has planned (like always, he stopped himself from mumbling), the party was loud, incredibly boring and filled with branded suits and fake smiles everywhere. Nicholas noticed a handful of younger persons like him, also following who were surely their parents around the room, but the amount of self confidence and sufficiency they threw in their voices when introducing themselves to him was enough for the young man to want to disappear from the country and hide away from them. So he did as always, he obediently followed his parents and let them praise his good results and promising career to everyone they talked to, being nice enough to let Nicholas not force the increasing boredom out of his face.

As patient as he had always been, Nicholas still had a limit and after the third gray-haired lady in a tailored dress asking him if he was single, he was ready to assure he was getting close to the red line at a worrying speed. The desperate glances thrown in the direction of his father were totally ignored as his mother assured ‘Nicky would surely think about meeting Angela, after all she seems like a delicious girl’.

So Nicholas was left there, forced to smile and promise to spare a thought about girls he had zero care about, looking everywhere around him for something, anything that could offer him an escape from the hell he was currently going through.

"One more question about my marital status and I’m going to snap" he complained as yet another rich man left with his (way too young) wife draped around him. His father, the traitor, simply chuckled, one of his large hands patting Nicholas’ shoulder in a half sympathy.

"You should get used to it, son. Until you find yourself a good and stable one, everyone will want to settle their daughters with the handsome man that you are."

Said young man adverted his eyes, a blush creeping on his cheeks at the compliment he knew was genuine from his father. He took a sip of his glass of champagne as the older man continued.

"I know you just want to tell them off, but you need to remain at least vague with them, after all, some of them will surely become your coworkers when you get..."

The rest of the sentence got blurred in Nicholas’ ears as his eyes got drawn further down the large room. There was, standing and talking with a group of smiling and laughing people, a tall man with white hair that he immediately recognized as the famous investor that possessed the track not far from here in Montreal where Nicholas used to go every year for the Formula 1 races before he started his studies. But what caught his eyes was not Lawrence Stroll, but the younger man standing next to him, hands behind his back and laughing along with everyone. By his stature, facial features and their proximity, Nicholas easily identified him as Stroll’s son, and he took another sip as his own father continued his tirade about the importance of work relationships.

He let his eyes wander on the Montreal boy, on his tall legs in dark pants, his perfectly fitted light pink shirt that defined his toned chest and muscular arms, his luxurious dark hair that the man surely defined with his fingers only, seeing how they fell on his eyes and neck, and his full lips tugged in a charming smirk that surely got all the women in the group crazy about him.

Before Nicholas could mentally think that it could easily get him too, his eyes fell on the dark orbs of the young man and he froze, horrified at having been noticed shamelessly looking at him. But to his surprise, instead of getting offended, or at least surprised, the boy’s smirk grew a little and he winked at Nicholas before turning back his attention to his father, missing the way Nicholas’ eyes grew wide in an instant as he choked on his sip of champagne.

"Nicky, are you okay ?" his mother worried as she patted his back until he remembered how to breathe like a normal human being. At least, the sudden redness of his face would be mistaken for a simple lack of oxygen for a few seconds, and not a consequence of being winked at by a handsome cheeky stranger.

"Yes, sorry mother" he told her, while giving a quick look in the direction of the back of the room, only to notice two dark eyes looking discreetly on the side to him, a mocking smirk plastered under, and Nicholas blushed even more at the sudden need to go talk to that cute boy. But his parents were still here, and he was expected to stick with them all evening, so he ignored the little sting in his heart as he turned around and followed his father to another of his coworkers.

But as they moved around the room, his father suddenly stopped dead in his track and turned around at the sight of something, and Nicholas was surprised to see him go and great someone from the group in the back, and his steps slowed as they got closer to the Montreal young man, whose eyes had found him again as he smiled softly.

A small hand pushed him forward as his mother inquired him to hurry a little, and the next moment they were shaking hands with everyone around, his father introducing him proudly to them all. Finally, as they shook hand with Lawrence Stroll, they turned to the man of interest to Nicholas and the investor put a hand on the boy’s shoulder, proudly saying :

"This is my youngest child, Lance."

"Oh, he looks so much like his sister !" Nicholas’ mother exclaimed happily and as the older people started asking about the girl he knew nothing about, Lance drew his hand forward. Nicholas shook it firmly, like he did with everyone in the room, earning an impressed look from the boy and at that moment he realized the blush that probably matched his own, as they kept their eyes on each other.

"Nicholas" he introduced himself after what seemed like an embarrassing eternity which was probably just a long second in real life, and Lance simply smiled more before they both turned back to their parents, staying next to each other and listening to the ‘adults’ talk about family and businesses.

Only a few seconds in and boredom came back in full force, the large size of the group making it even more difficult to at least fake an interest to participate in the discussions. For long minutes, Nicholas stood still, dutifully trying and effectively failing to follow the business talks until something poked him in the ribs, making him jump slightly on his spot. On his left, Lance threw him a quick glance, smirking like he did earlier and retreating his hand behind his back again, leaving Nicholas confused, turning back to his father. Why would he-

"Hey" a soft whisper interrupted his thoughts and he turned to the tall boy again, raising an eye brown interrogatively.

"It’s really boring here, uh ?"

Before even thinking, Nicholas was nodding, his eyes stuck on the playful smile on Lance’s lips.

"Wanna get out of here a little ?"

He didn’t even have the time to think of an appropriate answer that Lance took his hand and dragged him away, their parents barely noticing them escaping. Nicholas was way too busy panicking internally at the soft skin brushing his palm anyway to pay attention to his father’s reaction.

Lance quickly walked along the wall until they reached the large glass doors leading to a balcony empty of any other invitee, and their hands separated as the Montreal boy leaned back on the stone barrier, head thrown back to watch the black clear sky. Not really knowing what to do, Nicholas simply stayed on his spot, nervously fidgeting with his fingers as his eyes didn’t leave Lance one second. Something strong was keeping him from looking away from the handsome young man in front of him, either the carefully dosed confidence he was emanating or the softness of his features or the distracting smirk on his lips. For a second, he imagined him saying the stars were beautiful and Nicky would answer that yeah, of course, beautiful, without dragging his eyes away from Lance, and he shook his head at his terribly cheesy imagination.

"You can come closer, I’m not gonna bite you" Lance laughed as he patted the barrier right next to him, and Nicholas took a deep breath, assembled all his courage and settled right next to the other boy, way closer than necessary but it didn’t seem to bother Lance who stepped even closer until their arms aligned. This drew a warm shiver down Nicholas’ spine as they silently looked up, enjoying the calm of the night and sometimes turning their eyes to the other before retreating.

"I’ve never seen you before ?" Nicholas asked after a couple of minutes, genuinely wondering where was that handsome distracting boy before when he needed him.

"I was studying in Switzerland, I only came back because it’s my sister’s wedding next weekend."

"Oh." Strangely, the idea of Lance leaving soon and never coming back made Nicholas sad already, and he bit the inside of his cheek before he would let out a ‘what a shame’. That would be really awkward.

"But..." Lance continued, "if I had known I would meet such interesting people as you, I would have come back more often."

There was the cheeky smirk again, and Nicholas blushed furiously as he adverted his eyes again, smiling softly and bumping their shoulders in an embarrassed chuckle.

"If you came more often, you would really get bored, you know."

"For sure the business talks are not quite fun, and hearing about the little sister of the cousin of the grandson of who knows who is only nice for about ten seconds."

"Ten seconds ? You’re generous."

"I can be patient, dad asked me to stay in place at least two hours. It’s been two hours and a half, I largely overtook my goal !"

Lance’s smirk grew again, as if it was possible, and he drew a hand in his hair, as Nicholas’ eyes were stuck on those playful lips. The cheeky attitude made him suddenly want to kiss the other boy, and before he could stop himself, he opened his mouth and said :

"I know a way to keep us busy."

His eyes grew as wide as plates at hearing his own voice pronouncing those words (seriously, with all the vocabulary he knew, _this_ was the way he chose to associate them ??? Unbelievable). But Lance didn’t seem unfazed at all, on the contrary, and he fully turned around to face Nicholas and put his hands on his broad shoulders, fingers slightly scratching the hair behind his neck, making Nicky gulp in anticipation.

"I thought you would never ask."

Later, when Nicholas returned to his parents, his mother threw him a horrified look at the way the collar of his shirt stuck awkwardly around his neck, and the youngest Latifi tried to arrange it himself as quickly as possible before the two hands of his mother would try and smother it for him. He didn’t need for her to notice the marks now decorating the skin of his chest, and he smiled happily as his mother passed a hand in his hair, mumbling about her son being incapable of looking correct more than ten minutes in a row. When she deemed him presentable enough, she dragged him away to the taxi waiting for them (all of this just to leave the next second), and Nicholas clutched the small paper in his pocket as he climbed next to his father on one of the back seats, a warm feeling engulfing him at the idea of the handwritten number he couldn’t wait to put on his phone. For sure, the galas would never be as boring now.

**Author's Note:**

> YOOOO I HOPE YOU LIKED IT  
> If you did, leave a kudo, a comment, a nugget at my door  
> If you didn’t, well... I’m sorry 😬
> 
> Anyway take care and maybe I’ll see you on my blog suckmyballshoney 💙


End file.
